Adam Wilton, PRCVI

Adam (he/him) is the Program Manager of the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and the Accessible Resource Centre – BC (ARC-BC). He is also the current vice-chair of the Canadian Association of Educational Resource Centres for Alternate Format Materials.

Adaobi Nnaobi, BookNet Canada

Adaobi (she/her) was previously an accessible content certifier at eBOUND Canada and now currently works as a marketing and research associate at BookNet Canada where she creates accessible PDFs & EPUBs for research reports.

Amanda Lee, Freelance

Amanda Lee (she/her) has worked in Canadian publishing for over 10 years. As an independent consultant, Amanda has managed projects focused on using accessible publishing or metadata to ensure everyone looking for a Canadian book can get it. Those projects include managing metadata workflows for Canadian publishers, training publishers in enhanced metadata and digital distribution, researching the state of accessible book publishing, researching the effects of specific pieces of metadata on sales of books, and more.

Blake Sproule, Playwrights Canada Press

Blake (he/him) is the managing editor at Playwrights Canada Press, where he has worked for the past fourteen years. He lives in Peterborough with his beautiful partner and son.

bob Minnery, AERO (Alternative Educational Resources Ontario)

bob (he/him) has been the manager of AERO since 2000. The mandate of AERO is to provide alternate format text to students with perceptual disabilities who attend publicly funded educational institutions in Ontario. AERO enables students with perceptual disabilities to access educational materials in a format they require and in a timely manner. bob is also the current chair of CAER (Canadian Association of Education Resources for Alternate Format Materials).Alternative Educational Resources  Ontario. CAER members are a collective of publicly funded centres coordinating the provision of educational materials for persons with print disabilities.

Christen Thomas, CNIB

Christen Thomas (she/her) leads a team of 30 at CNIB Beyond Print in the creation of accessible and commercial audiobooks, ebooks, braille, and print braille, and advocates for inclusive publishing and born accessible. CNIB Beyond Print produces alt formats for CELA, for publishers, and also does work for other for- and non-profit organizations “beyond the book” to make other kinds of information accessible.

Christopher Carr, Concordia University Library

Christopher Carr is Acting Head, Cataloguing & Collection Maintenance at Concordia University Library. He is a member of the Canadian Committee on Metadata Exchange (CCM) and of the CFLA-FCAB Cataloguing and Metadata Standards Committee, of which he is chair. Christopher is also currently co-chairing the PCC SCS Task Group on Accessibility Information in Provider Neutral Records.

Colette Poitras, Public Library Services Branch

With deep roots in the Red River, Edmonton and St. Paul des Métis, Colette Poitras (she/her) is a Métis librarian who is interested in breaking down barriers and increasing access to library services.

Daniella Levy-Pinto, NNELS

Daniella Levy-Pinto (she/her) is the Manager of NNELS and leads digital accessibility initiatives to eliminate accessibility barriers to digital content. She works to promote and inform a paradigm shift towards born-accessible-content and inclusive design. Daniella has used assistive technologies for over 25 years in her different roles in academic and professional settings. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

Deborah Nelson, eBOUND

I have spent my 25 year career in publishing. The last six of those years as the CEO of eBOUND.  The most rewarding aspect of my work connecting with the broad community of stakeholders that support the publishing industry, especially those that support the creation and availability of accessible content. (she/her)

Elisa Molinari, Fondazione LIA

A graduate in Italian literature, Elisa Molinari (she/her) worked at the Italian Publishers Association, taking part at national and European projects devoted to digital publishing. Since 2013 she has been working with Fondazione LIA where she is responsible for events, training activities, and projects aimed at spreading the culture of accessibility. On behalf of LIA she participates in the Accessibility Task Force of the Federation of European Publishers and in the Publishing Accessibility Action Group of the Publisher Association.

Elizabeth Kraler, eBOUND

Operations Manager at eBOUND Canada involved in Benetech Certification, large scale accessibility projects, and financial management. (she/her)

Emma Côté, eBOUND

Emma (she/her) started her career in publishing as a child, when she wrote Beauty and the Beast fanfiction and made her family check it out of her ‘library.’ Since then, she’s worked for The Rights Factory and Rakuten Kobo, developing a love of the technical side of publishing along the way. She has been the Publishing Technology Specialist at eBOUND Canada as well as a Benetech Certifier since 2021.

Farrah Little, NNELS

I’ve happily led NNELS’ content and technical services for 7 years—shaping the digital repository, metadata, cataloguing, and book production processes. And some other things here and there.

Gabrielle Etcheverry, Livres Canada Books

Gabrielle Etcheverry, PhD, serves as Deputy Executive Director of Livres Canada Books, a not-for-profit organization with a mandate to support Canadian-owned book publishers in their export sales activities and in developing international partnerships. An experienced international communications and outreach professional, she holds over a decade of expertise in various fields of communications and in engaging diverse stakeholder communities and audiences. She has previously taught university courses on Canadian and Latin American cultures and communications and has also worked as a Spanish-English translator and editor. Gabrielle earned her doctorate, with specialization in Spanish-language writers and publishers in Canada, from the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University.

Gautier Chomel, European Digital Reading Lab (edrlab)

Gautier Chomel is an editorial designer and expert in book production chains with over 25 years of experience, 10 of which have been dedicated to producing accessible formats for people with print disabilities. Gautier is also an experienced trainer who has worked for international organisations such as WIPO and the Daisy Consortium. He has been running éditadapt, a certified training centre, since 2017. At EDRLab, Gautier is involved in helping the ecosystem prepare for the entry into force of the European Accessibility Act. He is also working on the shape of tomorrow’s digital publishing and reading landscapes.

Hadrien Gardeur, De Marque

Hadrien Gardeur is the Head of Product at De Marque where he’s in charge of the distribution, marketplace, library portals and reading applications developed by the Quebec-based company. He was previously the co-founder of Feedbooks, which was created in 2006 and acquired by De Marque in 2019. Over the years, Hadrien has been involved with the creation and/or maintenance of many standards, including EPUB, OPDS (protocol for distributing ebooks/audiobooks), LCP (an ISO standard for ebook/audiobook DRM) and the Readium open-source projects.

Heather McDonald, London Public Library / Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association

Heather McDonald (she/her) works as the Digital Collections Management Librarian for London Public Library. Through this position, she has co-led a team for The Canadian Urban Libraries Council, Un Livrel / One eRead Canada initiative, implementing the first national bilingual digital book-club which now reaches over 1000 public libraries. Most recently, she became the Library Liaison Consultant for Atlantic Public Libraries Accessible eBook Project.

Heather Davies, Annick Press

Heather (she/her) has been involved with print production for a long time. Along with our digital manager at the time, she has helped create Annick’s ebooks from the start. Heather does all the in-house conversions and provides some technical support for the third party conversions.

Hubert Lalande, MOBiDYS CANADA

Hubert Lalande (he/him/his) is General Manager of Mobidys Canada (MCA). Since 2022, MCA has been working in partnership with Canadian publishers to adapt their books using the FROG (Free your cOGnition) technology, patented by Groupe MOBiDYS (France) and powered by AI. The FROG book (ePUB3) integrates 14 reading aids that facilitate text comprehension for readers with learning difficulties. Each book includes a variety of options suited to different needs (fonts, highlighted syllables, audio support, definitions, etc.). Developed in concert with experts in linguistics and cognitive science, the FROG format has proven effective, offering users many benefits.

Jack Illingworth, Association of Canadian Publishers

Jack(he/him/they/them) is an arts administrator and publishing policy specialist who has worked in senior roles with the Literary Press Group of Canada and the Ontario Arts Council. He lives in Toronto and Neebing, Ontario.

Janis Nostbakken, Bibliovideo

Janis (she/her) is Director of Bibliovideo, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Accessible Books for Young Readers Project, which includes a a searchable book bank, a playlist of relevant videos, reviews by readers of books in accessible formats, and more. She also heads up the CCBC’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/bibliovideo) all about Canadian books for kids and youth.

Jean-Benoît Dumais, Les libraires

Holder of an MBA in management with a specialization in cultural business management and training in law, Jean-Benoît Dumais (he/him) has extensive experience in marketing the performing arts and excellent mastery of digital platform management cultural, particularly in the field of books. In February 2018, he joined the team of the Librairies indépendantes du Québec cooperative as general manager. He is also the editor of the bimonthly Les libraires.

Jennifer Weldon, CAPER-BC

Jennifer (she/her) is the Accessibility Librarian at CAPER-BC. CAPER-BC provides accessible learning and teaching materials to students and instructors at post-secondary institutions in British Columbia who cannot use conventional print because of disabilities. Jennifer is responsible for outreach activities, providing accessibility training to faculty at post-secondary institutions, and for overseeing special projects.

Jessica Albert, ECW Press

Jessica Albert (she/her) is the Digital and Art Director at ECW Press, where she works on ebooks, accessibility, audiobooks, book covers, innovation, and metadata. In 2021, she was recognized with a Publishers Weekly Star Watch award. In her spare time, Jessica works directly with Canadian independent publishers on their digital and metadata needs and as a Benetech Certifier via eBound Canada.

Jillian Bell, SaskBooks

Jillian (she/her) has been working in the publishing industry for more than 25 years. She is a writer and freelance editor living in the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley in southern Saskatchewan, and her work has been published in magazines, newspapers, anthologies, and gaming supplements, and online since 1995. Jillian has worked as a technical writer; a web developer/designer; a database designer; a farm and ranch hand; a lifeguard; a music teacher; an on-air radio host; and as Marketing & Technology officer with SaskBooks prior to her current role as Executive Director. She has been a board member for community radio; her local library, school community council, arts council, drama club, and community band; the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild; the Saskatchewan Book Awards; the Saskatchewan Willow Awards; Wascana Daycare; and the Flatland Regional Association of Gamers. She also coached football.

Joan McGouran, CNIB Beyond Print

At CNIB Beyond Print, I manage the production and creation of alternate format materials (notably braille and EPUB formats) for readers with print disabilities, ensuring an accessible and equitable reading experience. (she/her)

Josie Gray, BCcampus

Josie (she/her) is the manager of production and publishing at BCcampus. She provides training and support for B.C. faculty publishing open textbooks, which are available for free for instructors and students to use and adapt. She also manages the B.C. Open Collection, a collection over over 300 open textbooks and open courses. Josie has been learning about and teaching accessibility best practices in open textbooks since 2016 and has a Masters of Design in Inclusive Design from OCAD University.

Julie Rainville, Association nationale des éditeurs de livres

Fascinated by words and images, Julie is a graduate in Fine Arts (Concordia University) and in Film scriptwriting (UQAM). Professionally, she has accumulated over 20 years of experience in positions related to communications and public relations connected with the film industry, feminist organizations and associations defending cultural worker’s rights. As a project manager at Association nationale des éditeurs de livres du Québec, she has led structuring projects for the book industry, promoting French-Canadian books, contributing to the development of accessible and audiobook markets, as well as creating new ways to prevent harassment in culture workplaces.

Ka Li, NNELS

Ka(he/him/his) is an accessibility consultant focused on digital access and tactile graphics. He’s dedicated to empowering blind and low vision individuals to use tactile graphics, advocating for their inclusion in novels and leisure activities. In his free time, he enjoys practicing Krav Maga and reading good books.

Kay Rollans, Brush Education

Kay (she/her) began working in accessible publishing in 2020 as the coordinator of the Accessible Digital Publishing Initiative at the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. She has since moved on to Brush Education, where she helped the press achieve GCA certification and is producing born-accessible higher education titles. Kay is always keen to learn more about digital book accessibility and to advocate for the needs of both readers and small presses in this area.

Kieran Leblanc, Book Publishers Association of Alberta

Kieran (she/her) is the executive director of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, an industry association that supports the work of 30 Alberta book publishers, including advocacy, professional development, collective marketing, industry development and an awards program. Projects have included work in accessible audiobook production, accessible book publishing, ebook collections with Alberta libraries, and Alberta Books for Schools (including accessible resources for teachers and students). Kieran is a founding member of the Alberta Partners for Arts and Culture, and a board member of eBOUND Canada and the Canadian Copyright Institute. Her past board involvement includes the Book and Periodical Council, Cultural Connections Institute – The Learning Exchange, Shadow Theatre, the Forum for Young Albertans, Edmonton West Rotary Club, Think Equal, and the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton.

Kim Johnson, Government of Alberta

Kim (she/her) works for the Government of Alberta as a Library Network Advisor, with a focus on accessibility in public libraries. Kim also works on an accessible government documents initiative, where her team trains and supports Government of Alberta staff in creating accessible documents and publications.

Laetitia Mfamobani, NNELS

Passionate about making digital experiences more user-friendly and inclusive for all, Laetitia Mfamobani (she/her)is the Accessibility Tester  for the National Network for Equitable Libraries Services (NNELS), where she conducts comprehensive usability evaluations for a diverse range of projects. She is also  the Digital Accessibility Specialist for the Rick Hansen Foundation, where she leads accessibility projects, conducts usability evaluations, and provide staff training focused on digital communications and accessibility best practices.

Laura Brady, Consultant

Laura Brady (she/her) is an inclusive publishing expert with more than 25 years of trade publishing experience, creating and converting ebooks, training publishers on accessible workflows, writing a blog helping developers work more accessibly, and consulting for services organizations about how to publish inclusively while worrying about everyone’s reading experience. She is on the board of the Accessible Books Consortium.

Lauren Jeanneau, Fernwood Publishing

Lauren (she/her) is the production and design coordinator at Fernwood, a small, radical political publisher in Nova Scotia. She completed her Master of Publishing at SFU, where she focused on accessibility in academic book publishing. In her current role, she works on book design, digital production, and accessibility, and has been working with different departments to integrate accessible workflows that better support the production of born-accessible books in house.

Laurie Davidson, CELA

Laurie (she/her) is the Executive Director of CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access) and is passionate about building an accessible and equitable reading landscape for all. She has more than 25 years of experience working as a librarian and technologist in a variety of settings. She has worked in non-profits, library consortia, academic and public libraries, and the library technology industry and is interested in the intersection of systems and people, and how best to support collaboration and cooperation across organizations.

Leah Brochu, NNELS

Leah Brochu (she/her) is the the Accessible Publishing & Resources Coordinator at NNELS,  and a passionate advocate for accessibility and inclusive design. With a background in library and information science (MLIS) and classical studies (MA in Classics), Leah combines her love for books and technology, working to ensure that all readers can read what they want, when the want, in the way they need.

Lindsay Tyler, CELA

Lindsay (she/her) is a bilingual information professional with expertise in accessible content and services, digital service and program development, community outreach, training, and readers advisory.

Lindsey Hunnewell, Wilfrid Laurier University Press

Lindsey (she/her) has been obsessed with books since she was a young girl growing up in New Brunswick. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of King’s College and has worked as a writer, editor, and production assistant for television news and magazines. For four years, she oversaw production and creation of Nimbus Publishing’s ebook and audiobook programs as their Digital Assets Manager. For the past five years, she has worked for Wilfrid Laurier University Press as their Production Coordinator and the project lead for developing in-house accessible ebook and audiobook strategies at the Press. In her spare time, you can usually find her at the curling rink or on the dance floor at a swing dance event.

Marit Vagstad, Ingram Content Group

Marit has diverse experience managing sales teams and publishing clients both domestically and abroad. In May 2023, Marit joined Ingram Content Group as Director of Digital Services, rebuilding and now overseeing the commercial team responsible for Core Source, Ingram’s digital distribution platform. New York based, Marit has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in research and trade publishing. She is highly engaged in the book industry and committed to helping publishers build and maintain efficient workflows and evolve with change.

Mathieu Thériault, De Marque

MBA – Université Laval, Québec (Québec) – 2020
De Marque’s Director of Marketing since 2021
Formerly Director of Marketing for COOPSCO (University campus bookstores) and Director of Marketing for Pearson ERPI (Montreal) (he/him).

Meagan Richards, Government of Manitoba

Meagan (she/her) works for the Manitoba Public Library Services as a Library Consultant. Prior to her current role, Meagan earned her MLIS from Western University and worked in public libraries in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Megan Sellmer, NNELS

Megan (she/her) received her graduate degree in Humanities Computing and Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta, focusing on digital access to information. In her role at NNELS, she works primarily on the Public Library Accessibility Resource Centre (PLARC) project focused on helping libraries be accessible for all patrons and on Digital Literacy projects for NNELS users.

Megan Toye, Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA)

Megan Toye (she/her) is the Metadata Coordinator for the Centre for Equitable Library Access. She is passionate about all things metadata-related and enjoys structuring and organizing digital content to facilitate accessibility. She has a Masters in Art History and in Information Studies from McGill University, where she specialized in equitable practices in metadata creation, information architecture, and digital culture.

Mélanie Dumas, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

Mélanie (she/her) is director of the Grande Bibliothèque collection at Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. She oversees collection development for the Service québécois du livre adapté.

Mélissa Castilloux, NNELS

Mélissa Castilloux (she/her) is currently working as an Accessibility Consultant in the publishing industry. She is also a master’s candidate in political science with a specialization in gender studies at l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). As an academic with dyslexia and dysorthographia, she understands the importance of accessible publications and e-reader technologies in promoting a more inclusive way to share stories and knowledge.

Michael Bird, NNELS

My name is Mike Bird (he/him) and I am an intern at NNELS. I am currently in my final year of study in the University of Alberta’s Master of Library and Information Studies program. Prior to entering library and information studies, I studied anthropology and classics and completed an MA in classical archaeology in 2010. I am very excited to attend the summit and learn more about accessible publishing!

Michelle Peters, Association of Manitoba Book Publishers

Michelle Peters (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers. A former bookseller and events coordinator, she has served as volunteer board member for literary journal CV2, Artspace, and the Manitoba Editors’ Association. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) degree from the University of Manitoba.

Mike Krupp, NNELS

A low vision consultant for NNELS who uses his expertise to locate barriers and provide possible Solutions in a variety of digital environments. In his spare time he enjoys spending time out and about with his Seeing Eye dog shadow or snowboarding in the winter.

Mohammed Ali, Canadian Children’s Book Centre

Mohammed Ali (he/him) works with the CCBC to help guide and inform projects to ensure they are accessible.

Nicole Lambe, House of Anansi Press / Groundwood Books

Nicole Lambe (she/her) is the Production Coordinator at House of Anansi Press and Groundwood Books. She specializes in accessible publishing and mainly focuses on ebook creation.

Norm Nehmetallah, Invisible Publishing

Norm Nehmetallah (he/him) is the publisher of Invisible Publishing, a scrappy not-for-profit press that focuses on literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. He’s worked as a District Sales Manager at Penguin Random House Canada and spent a couple glorious years making books at Toronto’s Coach House Books, but he got his start fumbling with the cerlox binding machine in the basement of Windsor’s Biblioasis. He grew up in a large Arab Canadian family in Windsor, Ontario, but he now lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Patrick Bouchard, NNELS

Technology enthusiast, book lover, casual gamer, long-suffering Leafs fan. Attending the summit with permission from his cat. (he/him/his)

Paula Bruce, eBOUND Canada

Paula (she/her) is a graduate of the Humber Publishing Program. After graduating the program, she joined ECW Press as their Marketing Coordinator. From there, she joined The Puritan as their Publicity Assistant and promoted literary events in the city. She also worked as a bookseller for both Indigo and House of Anansi Bookstore. An avid cookbook collector and baker, she enjoys destroying coworkers’ diets by bringing in homemade baked goods.

Pikiora Wylie, NNELS

Pikiora (she/her) is the Public Services Librarian for NNELS. She is passionate about Libraries and accessibility and helping NNELS’ customers access content in the format they need. She is looking forward to the opportunity to share knowledge and expertise and learn.

Rachel Comerford, Macmillan Learning

Rachel Comerford (she/her) is the Senior Director of Accessibility Outreach and Communication at Macmillan Learning where she leads cross-functional efforts to ensure students of all abilities have access to their course materials. In 2020, BISG awarded Rachel the Industry Innovator award for her work helping Macmillan Learning to become the first Global Certified Accessible publisher by Benetech. She currently heads up BISG’s Workflow Committee. Under her leadership, Macmillan was recognized by WIPO’s Accessible Book Consortium with the International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing in 2020 for their work towards providing educational materials that any student can use.

Rachel Osolen, NNELS

Rachel Osolen (she/they) is the Production Coordinator for NNELS where she runs all in house production and training for accessible formats including DOC, EPUB3, DAISY Text, and DAISY Audio. She trains and supervises the Production Assistants, who reformat digital books into accessible formats for patron request and awards programs. She also trains and supervises the development and use of the NNELS in house application for DAISY Audio conversion. When she is not helping run production, she also assists in collection management, and works with publishers and librarians in training and creating image descriptions and accessible documents. Rachel is proud to be part of the NNELS team, for 7 years now, helping create an equitable future for all readers in Canada. She holds her MLIS from UAlberta and is also a freelance writer who specializes in Folklore, Supernatural, Death Studies, and the macabre.

Riane Lapaire, NNELS

Riane (she/her) is the Braille and Accessibility Testing Coordinator for the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS). With over a decade of working in alternate format materials and accessibility, her current passion is finding ways to increase timely access to quality braille and tactile graphics for readers. In her spare time, Riane enjoys reading, gardening, and playing music.

Richard Orme, DAISY Consortium

When teaching in a college more than 30 years ago Richard (he/him/his) met a blind student who needed to access textbooks and software used on his course. Thus began a thrilling and varied career in what we now refer to as accessibility. After holding senior positions in national and international non-profits and software companies, Richard is now Chief Executive of the DAISY Consortium, the global organization whose mission is to develop standards and solutions for accessible publishing and reading. He is a founding member of the UK Publishers Accessibility Action Group, is Vice Chair of the international Accessible Books Consortium (an initiative of the UN agency WIPO) and is a trustee of the charity Warwickshire Vision Support. He volunteers in his community providing home visiting support for people with disabilities. Richard’s brother James has a profound learning disability, and his son Jim has dyslexia.

Sahiba Shah, eBOUND Canada

Sahiba Shah (she/her) is a graduate of the Toronto Metropolitan University Publishing program. As the Technology and Marketing Specialist at eBOUND Canada, she is in charge of the management and marketing of the Accessible Publishing Learning Network (APLN) site, in addition to overseeing large and small scale ebook conversion projects, as well as assisting with library projects and vendor issues. She is also a Benetech Certifier.

Sarah Hilderley, DAISY Consortium

Sarah (she/her) worked in publishing in the UK for many years before taking the lead on the WIPO project: Enabling Technologies 14 years ago. She is the author of Accessible Publishing: Best Practice Guidelines for Publishers as well as many other resources on the ABC website. After this Sarah took on the role of community engagements at the IDPF, namely running EPUBZone until the integration with W3C and she now works with friends and colleagues at the DAISY Consortium at Inclusive Publishing. Intensely passionate about accessible publishing, Sarah has advocated for mainstream accessibility within publishing practices at many events over the years.

Sarah Mayes, Canada Book Fund / Canadian Heritage

Sarah (elle/she) manages a program team in the Canada Book Fund that delivers funding under two recent federal investments in the Canadian book sector – the Accessible Digital Books Initiative and the Support for Booksellers Initiative.

Sarah Smith-Eivemark, Penguin Random House Canada

Sarah Smith-Eivemark (she/her) is the Associate Director of Retail Marketing & Partnerships at Penguin Random House Canada. She lives and works in Toronto, though she grew up across Canada.

Tan Light, Literary Press Group

Tan Light (she/her) has been supporting book sales in Canada for more than 15 years. A former student librarian and bookseller, Tan worked with the Digital Sales and Marketing department at Random House for 5 years before joining the Literary Press Group of Canada as Sales Manager. For the past decade, she has worked in partnership with the Canadian Manda Group to bring thousands of independently published works of Canadian literature to the attention of booksellers and librarians.

Tim Gordon, BiblioCommons

Tim (he/him/his) is a Product Manager at BiblioCommons. At BiblioCommons, Tim leads his teams to deliver modern, accessible, and engaging online discovery experiences used by large and small public libraries across North America. Native of Aotearoa (New Zealand,) he holds a Master of Information Studies from Victoria University of Wellington, as well as a Certificate in Cataloguing. He has experience working in archive and library positions, most recently at The University of Auckland Libraries as a specialist in the Media Services unit. Supporting large audiovisual collections, he was focused on enabling the preservation, digitisation, and description of library resources, as well as improving online discovery of archival and lending collections.

Véronique Fontaine, Éditions Fonfon

Véronique Fontaine(elle/she) has been leading the award-wining publishing house, Fonfon, since it was established in 2010. A digital creation specialist, Véronique is experienced in developing innovative literary projects, such as Fonfon apps and the Atelier de création Fonfon. Her dedication to the Quebec book industry is well-known and she holds a number of industry positions; vice-president of the Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL) and member of its technologic and innovation committee. She is also a member of the Salon du Livre de Montréal corporation.

Wendy Reid, Rakuten Kobo

Wendy Reid (she/her) is the Accessibility and Publishing Standards Lead at Rakuten Kobo, a retailer, publisher, and reading system developer for ebooks and audiobooks. She is responsible for Kobo’s Accessibility and Standards work, where she mainly focuses on digital accessibility and standards for ebooks and audiobooks. She is one of the co-chairs of the Publishing Maintenance Working Group, editor of the Audiobooks recommendation, and co-chair of the W3C Advisory Board.

Winona McMorrow, Toronto Public Library

Winona (she/her) is a librarian who works at Toronto Public Library as the Senior Services Specialist for Accessibility Services. Winona works to advance accessibility and d/Deaf and disability inclusion in all aspects of library service.